Good Friday Appeal
The Good Friday Appeal is an annual fundraising activity on behalf of the Royal Children's Hospital, in Melbourne, Australia. The event occurs on Good Friday every year, and the last event occurred on 3 April 2015.
In 2016, the appeal raised $17.4 million, which was a record high figure. It has provided more than $292 million[1] to the hospital since the appeal began in 1931.
Individuals and businesses, clubs, schools and country towns throughout the state conduct activities to raise money for the Hospital.
The Appeal is a non-political, non-denominational organisation that exists solely to financially support The Royal Children’s Hospital.
For the first time in 2014, the telethon was staged within the 2,500 seat Plenary theatre at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The public were able to purchase tickets to join the live studio audience, with proceeds donated to the Appeal. In 2016, the evening concert was marketed as a ticketed event via Ticketek.
The state-of-the-art MCEC complex, which is entirely undercover, also features a vast foyer area and support rooms which allowed the Appeal to expand activities such as the popular Kids Day Out program and host community groups which fundraise for the hospital.
History
The Appeal started in 1931 when groups of journalists from The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd organised a sporting carnival in aid of Melbourne hospitals. The proceeds from the appeal initially went to different hospitals each year, but from their third year proceeds have gone exclusively to the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital. In 1942, Sir Keith Murdoch as Managing Director and Editor of The Herald agreed that The Herald and radio station 3DB (now KIIS 101.1) should broadcast an all day appeal on Good Friday. In 1957, Channel 7 joined the appeal and presented a three-hour telethon on Good Friday afternoon. In 1960, the telethon adopted the day-long format which continues annually to this day.
During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the telethon was also re-broadcast through regional Victoria via local channels, with Prime Television being the sole regional broadcaster from 1992 with the aggregation of regional markets.
| Year | Amount raised (A$) |
|---|---|
| 2001 | $7,501,864.00 [2] |
| 2002 | $8,129,019.00 [2] |
| 2003 | $9,806,373.00 [2] |
| 2004 | $10,057,537.00 [3] |
| 2006 | $10,280,532.50 [2] |
| 2007 | $11,788,970.80 [2] |
| 2008 | $12,482,380 [4] |
| 2009 | $13,862,734 [4] |
| 2010 | $14,462,000 [5] |
| 2011 | $15,156,000 [6] |
| 2012 | $15,820,640.78 |
| 2013 | $16,405,534.65 [7] |
| 2014 | $16,846,396.09 [8] |
| 2015 | $17,109,063.20 |
| 2016 | $17,445,624.38 [9] |
References
- ↑ "The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal".
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Review - In Sickness & In Health". The Weekly Review. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ↑ Jones, Kate (10 April 2004). "Good Friday Appeal achieves fund-raising record". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- 1 2 "New record for Good Friday Royal Children's Hospital Appeal". News Limited. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ↑ Betts, Marianne; Firkin, Katherine (3 April 2010). "2010 Good Friday Appeal breaks record, raises $14.462 million for RCH". Herald Sun. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ↑ van den Berg, Lucie; McGee, Gillian (23 April 2011). "Good Friday Appeal raises $15.2m". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ↑ O'Connell, Brigid (30 March 2013). "Victorians open their big hearts to raise $16.4 million for Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal". Herald Sun. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ↑ O'Connell, Brigid; Hamblin, Andrea (19 April 2014). "Thank you Victoria! $16.8 million donated to Good Friday Appeal". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ↑ 2016 Tally